The Ram and The Fox
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: All her life, Aries had only ever known loneliness. Her master was cruel, and for that, she despaired. Then one day she found a boy, slumbering beneath the starry skies of her realm. Who is this boy? Where did he come from? NarutoxAries! Fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: As requested! I present to you! NarutoxAries! I've received a TON of requests for this pairing, so here ye be! Next will be the mysterious Flare Corona, or perhaps the fiery Aquarius? Either one will prove to be interesting, I assure you! As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on an updating CRAZE the past few days. Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering why? Well, thanks to my new surgery I have a new lease on life, one I plan to make good use of!**

_Please be nice to me..._

_~Aries._

**The Ram and the Fox**

_How the hell did I get myself into this situation?_

He lay there, the breath of life fading from his lungs.

They'd won.

_They'd finally won._

After a long and violent battle against Tobi and Kabuto the Allied Shinobi Forces had at last won the day. The Akatsuki had been crushed, and Kabuto slain. Victory was theirs, but it was a bittersweet one; because it had come at a terrible cost. Straining, the genin turned his head, gazing upon the prone form of Uchiha Sasuke. He'd spoken the truth on that day, after all. He'd take on all of Sasuke's hatred and die with him.

He wanted to speak; wanted to call out, desperate to see if his friend-turned-enemy was still alive. Despair threatened to overtake him when he failed to notice the rising and fallinf of the Uchiha's chest. _So that's how it is, Sasuke._ He tried to laugh; it was a bitter, hollow, sound. It stank of despair and rattled off into a harsh coughing fit. Damn. He must've pierced a lung or something; brcause he could taste it.

He tasted blood when he breathed.

He felt in his lungs, cloying each breath, clinging to him as he choked on it. His once pristine tresses were sullied by it; the dampened locks cling to his face and forehead even as he struggled to squint through bloodshot eyes. No matter. He'd be joining him soon. Yup. Not much longer now. By the time Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei arrived on the battlefield, he'd be long gone.

His only regret was a silly one; he was going to die a virgin.

It was silly. Stupid.

_Childish._

And yet he still regretted it. Ero-senin would mock him incessantly in the afterlife for this. Assuming there even was an afterlife. Naruto had never really been one to pray, but he found himself praying now. Maybe he didn't want to die yet. Maybe he wanted to live just a little bit longer. Ha! Who was he kidding? He was a dead man. If exhaustion did not do the deed, than blood loss would.

No medic could possibly hope to heal these wounds. Not even Kyuubi could hope to patch him up now. They'd exerted all their chakra, the both of them, and he was beginning to feel faint. And even should he live, should he somehow survive these wounds and live on, what was there to live for? He'd just killed his best friend. He wasn't worthy of the title of Hokage, nor was he in any position to earn it after all he'd done.

It was sad, really.

He'd never had the chance to live. Never got to go on a date with Sakura-chan. Never kissed a girl. Never had sex. Never raised a family. Never became hokage. Never. There were too many 'never's' in that sentence for his liking. Looking back, he'd lived his entire life as a shinobi; because it had been all he'd ever known. He'd grown up expecting a career as a ninja. As a trained killer. He'd never really thought about it like that. Until now. Until he lay here, dying, soaked in the blood of his best friend...

Naruto wept as he lay there, in the river, drifting away into nothingness...

* * *

It came as less a surprise, more a relief, when he finally awoke.

At first, anyway.

His first clue that he had returned from the land of nightmares came when darkness truly fell. The visions evaporated and the voices went with them. For a very welcome period there was nothing to see or hear or even think. He could just rest, and be.

Then new noises began to intrude upon his solace.

Then new noises began to intrude on the peaceful silence: the whirring of rustling cloth, low-pitched whispers and murmurrs from someone, a fizzing, spitting noise that could have been running water, and other sounds that had no place in his serenity. His heart rose at the sound of a voice rising above the others. The faint sticking point between each cycle was horribly familair.

Whatever obscure scene he had found himself in, it had passed. He closed his eyes and let out a small sob of relief, but refused to lower his guard all the same. The darkness had still yet to lift from his vision; because his eyes remained painfully scrunched shut. Whether it was a refusal on his part or simply his that his body coping with the trauma, he simply could not bring himself to see a thing. Finally, he could stand it no longer.

Naruto opened his eyes.

A bright, starry sky greet him, stretching overhead and before him, cresting across the horizon. Naruto sat up, propping himself on his elbows. He felt grass, wet and damp against his back. Where the hell was his shirt? _Ah._ Now he remembered. He'd lost it to Kabuto during their battle. The man really did spit venom, just like a snake. Shaking himself from the memory, Naruto realized he was alone, on a long, grassy plain.

He was alive.

There was no gaping hole in his chest from where he'd been struck by Sasuke's chidori. He wasn't missing most of his left ear. He still had all his fingers and toes. He could try and imagine it, the pain in his chest as the jutsu pierced his lung, but his body assured him that he was still breathing. Still alive. And there was something there in the fingers of his fist. He'd been holding for quite some time now, without realizing it. At first he thought it was a kunai. But it wasn't a kunai.

Uzumaki Naruto was holding a key.

But not just any key.

This key was made of platinum, pure as can be. Teeth on the end fastened around its facets, shaped like a lightning bolt. In the middle of the key's head was an orange gem, ridiculously rare and not to mention expensive. It was a very special key. He turned it end over end and marveled at it; its sleek, tapered design. Warm to the touch, it held a strange significance for him, even though he didn't know what is was.

_'When did I get this key?' _he wondered aloud. "_And how did I get here?"_ He winced. His voice rang strangely when he spoke. It reverberated; tickling at his throat and making him uncomfortable. Where was here, anyway?"

"Ano...

Naruto yelped and spun around at the sound.

_"Oi!"_

He found himself face to face with a young girl with pink hair, brown eyes and a pair of twisted horns on her head. Her clothes_-if they could even be called such-_were made of wool, white and fluffy, and probably very soft. Her doe brown eyes flitted from his eyes, to his face, widening as they noted his lack of attire. She blushed, tried to speak, only to blush again.

"Ano...who are you?" she managed at last, glancing at the ground instead of his face. "I haven't seen you around here before...

"Pleased to meet you," Naruto put on his most winning smile, "The name's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!" If there was one thing Ero-senin taught his apprentice, it was the proper etiquette towards women. Naruto knew better than to loudly shout random accusations at the first person he encountered. He also knew how to flirt_-damn you sensei!-_but he found himself strangely tempted to be nice to this girl. Moreso

_"Aries."_

"Well then, my lovely Aries-chan...would you have any idea where we are at this moment?"

_Oops!_

The girl turned red as a rose.

Naruto swore a blue streak. He hadn't meant to say that! Well, he had meant to ask where he was, but what was with the chan? His mouth didn't seem to be working the way he wanted it to. If anything, it seemed to have a mind of its own...or did it? He immediately suspected a certain fox. He'd opened the seal during the battle with Tobi, leaving Kurama full access to his body, and apparently his mouth, if his suspicions were correct. So why didn't he sense the old bastard's prescence? When he tried to speak to him, a strange sense of emptiness welled up in his stomach. _A void._ Almost as if nothing was there...

"Ano...may I see that?"

Aries's voice jerked him out of his reverie.

_"Huh?"_

"Sumimasen!" The girl promptly covered her face in fear. "I just wanted to see your key!"

"My...key?" Naruto asked quizically. "I just found this thing when I woke up...

"M-May I?" Aries asked softly.

"Sure." Naruto tossed it to her. "Catch!"

Aries cried out as if she'd been struck.

_"Wai!"_

"W-What's wrong!" Naruto stiffened, expecting an attack. Instead, Aries dove to catch his key before it could hit the ground. The girl heaved a sigh of relief, cradling it close to her bosom for a moment. She stood up slowly, cradling it, as though it were made of fine china. When Naruto reached for it, Aries, refused to give it to him. Disbeilef coloured her very feature.

"Y-You musn't throw your key!" She insisted, staring at him with her overlarge eyes. "Ever!"

"Why not?" Naruto blinked, not understanding.

"Our keys." Aries pointed to his, "Are special. They are the very escence of ourselves that allow us to be summoned. You musn't ever throw yours away." Naruto nodded, not really getting it, but deciding to follow along anyway. "There is nothing more precious in the realm of the Celestial Spirits." Gingerly, she placed the key into his awaiting palm, still looking fretful. "If I were to drop my key in the Celestial Realm my master would be so angry with me...

"The realm of the what now?"

"Th-This is the realm of the Celestial Spirits." Aries pointed out. "Humans, like my master, Karen, can't stay here long. Only spirits can live here."

"Meaning...

...you're probably a spirit, too." Aries finished timidly. "You've been sleeping over there for almost three days now...

There was a silence.

Then:

_"Eh?"_

And that was how he first met Aires.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! I did my best to keep everyone in character! Hope you enjoy the fluffy-excuse the pun!-goodness that is NarutoxAries! Is Kurama gone, or is he up to something? Is Naruto, now a celestial spirit, destine to serve Karen alongside Aries? Or will he put that wicked wench in her place as he should? **

**Alas, those questions will have to remain unanswered for now. Because now, sadly, I must logoff for the day. I thought I could update a few more stories before the pain got to me, but AARGH! That is clearly not the case. Guess its back to the damned pain pills and bed for me...**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Inhuman

**A/N: I'm so glad that each and every one of seem to enjoy this story! We now see a three-year timeskip, taking place directly after Naruto's untimely arrival in the realm of the Celestial Spirits. We also discover that a few..."changes" have taken place since then...**

_"If you lay so much as a finger on Aries...I'll kill you myself."_

_~Uzumaki Naruto._

**Inhuman**

Faster.

Harder.

Stronger.

In the three years since his arrival in the spirit realm, Uzumaki Naruto had become all these things and more. _Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger._ He wasn't a thing like his old former self, no longer a shinobi in any aspect of the word. During his first year, he began to suffer from heterochromia. His left eye remained its natural, true blue, while the other'd slowly stained itself crimson during the coming months. Whenever he became angry, whenever he lost his temper, his left eye followed suit and snapped scarlet.

In the second year, he'd gained the ears. It was then that his humanity truly ceased to be. Gradually his earlobes vanished, replaced by sensitive-incredibly sensitive!-ears of a fox. Those of a kitsune. And then just when he'd thought himself free from the horror of whatever he was becoming...then came the third year._ Then, came the tails._ There were nine of them now, hanging loose and limp behind their master, a myriad of orangish red.

The human-kitsune hybrid sighed, exhaling a breath and his stress alongside it. _You think I'd be used to this sort of thing by now, _he mused aloud, stepping out of the shower and into a towel. In the years he'd spent here, he'd gained no small amount of muscle, his once wiry frame now lean and taut, dripping with dew as he toweled himself off. He dried himself swiftly, rubbing the cloth across and between his bare shoulders, then dipping lower to dry his nether regions, obscured by the shower curtain. Satisfied that was finally dry, the former jinchuuriki slipped into a pair of blue boxers and stepped toward his closet.

His attire of choice was at once a sharp contrast from the tattered rags of old; and at the same time, quite similar. A pair of simple black khakis, pursued by an orange shirt as he selected a dirt-green vest to fall over it. It wasn't quite the jonin flak jacket he'd worn in his shinobi days, but it was close enough comparison. Sadly he'd lost his hitiate on the battlefield, the replacement for which was a strip of red cloth tied round his forehead.

He was weclome here, in the realm of the spirits, given leave to come and go as he pleased. Which wasn't often. Naruto soon learned-the hard way-that the land of Fiore was a great deal different than that of the Elemental Nations. Celestial Spirits rarely, if ever, went out in public. On the off chance that he did deign, to grace the mortal word with his prescence, Naruto was often forced to henge himself_-thankfully he retained most, if not all of his latent shinobi abilities-_lest he be discovered. Most had their keys brought and sold in shops. Such was the fate of those who bore the Silver keys.

Those who wielded the Golden Keys, however, controlled their own destiny. While not neccesarily better in any particular area, a Zodiac spirt was essentially stronger than the rest. Each held their own area of expertise. Libra, for example, controlled gravity. Taurus, the bull, specialized in brute strength. Among the Twelve Zodiac Keys, there were at least three elites; an upper echelon of spirits stronger than any other of the nine. Aquarius warded the element of water, Loke lorded over light, Scorpio the sand. But with the arrival of a _thirteenth_ spirit, of Naruto, the balance was thrown into chaos.

It had taken quite some time for the others to accept his prescence here, and even now, there will still some holdouts. He wasn't about to name any names but still...to be the unlucky number thirteen was plain 'ol bad luck in his eyes.

Supposedly there was a fourteenth spirit as well. Ophiuchus. A giant bio-mechanical snake the size of a skyscraper dwarfed only by the King of Celestial Spirits. Naruto'd yet to meet the great serpent himself. Nor did he ever intend to. Given his unappealing history with all things that slithered and crawled upon their stomachs and the earth, that was understandable.

As for Naruto himself, well...

Second only to Loke in terms of sheer power, he lorded over the element of fire. While still capable of wielding the fearsome rasenshuriken and sage mode, he found himself cut off from any of the water and earth ninjutsu he'd once known. Wind and fire were his element now and he'd long since accepted them. Now, if only he could learn to find the exact ratio of control for his bijudama, everything would be peachy keen.

He touched a hand to his key, bound at his neck by a length of chain. Forged in the fires of his soul it was unshakeable, unbreakable, and utterly indestructible. Woe to those fools who tried to take it from him. Like Aires had said, he'd learned to keep it close. Speaking of Aries...

"Gods, Aries." Naruto grumbled, procurring an apple from the kitchen. "You're late." He flopped down on the sofa, considering the television for a moment. Nah. Didn't want to rot his brain. Taking a healthy bite, he sank his teeth into the fruit, savoring the crisp, tart flavor of his snack. "Laaaate...

"You lllliiiike her." Someone rolled their tongue centimeters from Naruto's ear.

_"Kami!"_

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, such was his surprise. As it was he spit out his apple and glared, bloody red daggers at the one who had spoken. She stared back at him blankly, utterly unfazed by his violent outburst.

"Don't scare me like that, Virgo!"

"I knocked." She deadpanned, not even glancing at his door.

"I was in the shower!"

"I _still_ knocked."

_"Aaargh!" _He swore a blue streak, his eyes snapping slitted._ "Troublesome woman!"_

The Maiden was the servant of Duke Everlue, a loathsome little man who forced her to assume an equally horrendous shape whenever she served him. As she was now, in her natural state, Virgo was quite cute. Dressed as a maid_-fitting, given her title-_her stark blue eyes and pink hair reminded him a great deal of a certain teammate. Thankfully for him, her eyes were blue, not green. And unlike the hard hitting pinkette, Virgo possesed the remarkable ability to tunnel to wherever her heart so desired. Unfortunately she'd done that just now. In the middle of his room!

"You ruined my floor!" Naruto groaned, fingers pressed against his temples. _"Again!"_ He hurled an exasperated oath in the direction of the hole the maiden had made. "Come on!" He bemoaned the gapig hole in the auburn carpet. "I just repaired that!"

"You _do_ like her though, don't you?" Virgo pressed.

Naruto sent the girl a look that should have set her on fire.

"Get out of my room!"

A slight smile graced the maiden's lips.

"In that case...

Naruto's eyes flew wide as they found his cheek seconds thereafter.

"Why you-**!**"

Virgo danced skillfully backwards, chains rattling from her wrists. And not a moment too soon. A great gout of fire burst from the blonde's fingertips, engulfing the room within a geyser of flame. By the time it receded the walls, ceiling, and unfortunately the carpet, were all charred beyond recognition.

"Virgo!" Naruto bellowed, striding out of the smoke; out of his apartment. "When I get my hands on you I swear I'll-

He never did get to finish that sentence.

Midway through his rant, and the smoke, he bumped

"Eeep!"

"Aries?"

He offered his hand, helping her up. In the past three years, she hadn't aged a day. Supposedly, that was natural for Celestial Spirits. Past a certain age they simply stopped, well, aging.

"I-I wanted to see you."

"Well, here I am." Naruto said, struggling to suppress his irritation at Virgo. "Do you need anything?"

Aries nodded her head shyly as one foot twisted and tried to dig into the floor.

Naruto grinned slyly.

"Well, if its that...

Her face became a deep crimson. "Do… don't say such embarrassing things!"

"Kidding!" Naruto laughed, ever the trickster. "I was just kidding!" She was just too cute sometimes! Impossible to resist!

"M-My master wants to meet you...

Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"You've mentioned her before." He mused softly. "Karen, right?"

"H-Hai...

"Well, if its for my cute little lamb...

Arie's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Naruto-kun!"

It was like sunlight after the long night. It had made her entire body shake. It was joy beyond measure. If it was with him she could be just a normal girl. It didn't matter that she had to suffer those inhumane humiliations at the hands of their master. When she was with Naruto, she just...just...

"Well, I suppose I'll _allow_ her to summon me." He sighed, breaking her from his reverie with the most dazzling of smiles. "Just this once." He pulled the key from his neck and recited the incantation that would transition his form from this world and into the next.

"Open the gate to the Trickster's den..._**Naruto!"**_

Naruto winced as his form blurred, appearing in the human world. He found himself face to face with a brown-eyed green-haired woman. He took no notice or interest with her attire; because that sort of thing didn't matter to him. Before Karen could speak, before she'd the chance to do anything other than blink, he stepped forward. Karen opened a small pouch in her coat, doubtless to extract a key to defend herself, but she was a touch too slow.

Touching two fingers to her forehead, Naruto closed his eyes, and bade his body be still. He'd long since mastered this technique; the ability to read the mind of another solely through touch. He had to do it swiftly though, to avoid killing his unfortunate target. None were immune to this technique. Not even a Celestial Spirit Mage. Karen's arm fell to her side, her hand falling slack as her mind enough time for hi to get a reading on what kind of person Karen was...

**! **

What he found there left him speechless. _Thunderstruck. _He almost toppled backwards, such was his surprise. Karen remained in place, blinking slowly, battling her way back from the precipiece of oblivion. Utterly oblivious to the strom brewing before her she could only stand there, helpless before the two spirits. The forest itself quivered in sheer fear; trembling from the killing intent unleashed by the former.

"Aries...**leave."** Naruto growled, eyes narrowing into furious slits of crimson.

"B-But-

**"LEAVE."** Scarce had he forced the words past his lips than she vanished, back into the spirit realm. Though a spirit in his own right, Naruto reserved the right to close any of the celestial gates, should the need arise. The ability had been a gift, given to as a gift him by the Spirit King himself. He'd never bothered to use it before. Until now. Now, as Aries disapeared in a swirl of golden light, Naruto felt something he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

_Cold fury burned the world white._

Aries was special to him. Very special. She'd was his friend-no, she was more than that. She was his. She belonged to _him._ Not this self-serving bitch who used her as a shield in battle, as a tool for her own means, as an object for men to extract their pleasure from. I'm so pissed off right now! he fumed, his fingers working theiry way into fists as he looked on, as he waited for the mage to recover. _Never again._ Aries wouldn't suffer a single beating more, nor would she be beaten for disobedience. Not if he had anything to say about it. He was responsible for her.

Karen was coming back to herself now, a hint of uncertainty tugging at her full lips. She glanced about, startled, confused, wondering where Aries had gone. And there, hidden away in the amber pool of her eyes, just a touch of fear.

"Aries?"

"Aries won't be attending today." Naruto kept his voice soft. Deadly soft. "It'll just be me."

"Oh?" A thread of smugness found its way into her words. Karen looked him up and down, appraising.

"I suppose I'll _allow_ you the honor of serving me."

A muscle jumped in his jaw.

"Is that so?" he made no effort to hide the cold smile this time. "Funny you should mention that..._you filthy whore."_

Karen froze.

"I...beg your pardon?"

Naruto pinnioned her with a gaze.

"Why the _hell_ would _I_ want to form a contract with the likes of you?"

Karen stiffened, still at a loss for words. Apparently she wasn't used to being talked down to, certainly not by a spirit, least of all an uncontracted one. Well, that was about to change on Naruto's watch.

"What...did you say...?"

"Thought you could get away with it, did you?" He accused, stepping forward. "You thought you could treat Aries like shit? No, you treated her like less than that!" Naruto spat in her face, right between the eyes. Disgusted, Karen whiped the spittle from her face...just in time for his fist to plow through it. Cartilege and bone broke before his knuckles shattering like so much glass. Karen screamed. Clutched at her nose. Felt his hand close around her throat, his fingers, constricting her airway.

"R-Release me at once!"

"And if I don't?"

"Y-You'll regret it!"

He laughed; it was a deep, throaty sound.

"If you're going to step to the bell, might as well ring it." Naruto growled, hoisting her higher. Karen's feet struck at his chest but to no avail. Her fingers tore into his fists, his skin opening beneath her nails, but to no avail. The blond kitsune simply refused to release her. Her vision swam with black spots; forcing her to squint as her breath became more and more shallow. She was going to black out at any moment if he didn't release her. And then, he did just that. With a snarl, Naruto hurled Karen into the ground. _Not gently._ Stars_-whole planets!-_detonated behind her eyelids, leaving her blind and fumbling in the dark, her back, arching in pain as she struck a fallen log.

She pushed off against the rotting stump, made it to her elbows before her struck her again. Her forehead kissed an iron-hard root, her face becoming intimate with the earth in a way that no self-respecting mage desired.

The ground rushed toward her face, an open-palmed slap delivered by the world itself. Karen tasted soil, felt it filling her nostrils. Her hand flopped like a landed fish mere inches from the kitsune's foot. Already the pain was fading into a more manageable if constant burn, but Karen heard the drumming of words all around her, knew that the seconds she needed to regain her strength were seconds her foe would deny her.

Something shifted above, casting a shadow not merely of darkness but of cold across her exposed back, and Karen all but choked on the bile that surged behind her tongue, the bitterness not of death, but of humilation. With a broken groan, she flopped onto her back, struggling to stifle the freeflow of blood from her nose with her hand. She did the only thing she could think to do. She stalled. She needed to reach her keys. Needed to summon help. Her spirits would obey, of course. They always did, always would, no matter how much she abused them.

But needed to buy time in order for that to happen.

"W-W-What are you doing?" Karen mumbled out behind her hand. She scrabbled backwards like a drunken spider. She made it all of three paces, before his bare foot crackled out and found her ribs. "Stop it!" she screamed, curling into a ball. Naruto wasn't having any of it. Blinded by his rage, he reached for her, trapping a handful of her long locks within a powerful fist. He dragged her upright, and a small part of him delighted in the scream of agony she gave, the tears of pain trailing down her now filthy face. Seeing a glimmer of light within her first he lashed out with his free hand, snatching a key_-Loke's key!-_from the sobbing mage.

Naruto whistled. "Maa, Karen, I can't have you summoning Loke just now. He'd interfere." He thrust the key into his pocket, delighting in her frustrated cry. "Now, you are to do the following." He dragged her forward, so close that she could see his smile, see his fangs. "First, you are going to cease your abuse of Aries. Second, you will void any of and all of your contracts with your spirits, effective immediately. I will give you twenty-four hours to do this. If you haven't voided Aries's contract by that point, I will find you and make no mistake _I will find you,_ and this will look like a slap on the wrist compared to what I'll do to you."

Karen sobbed out a reply.

"Speak up." Naruto gave her hair a hard yank, eliciting another cry of pain. "I said speak up, woman!"

...all I did."

_"Eh?"_

"That's all I ever did," the mage protested weakly, her voice completely devoid of guile, subterfuge, or hope. "Please, I'm telling the truth!" Her voice quivered. "What are you going to do with me?"

Naruto grinned beatifically in answerment to her question.

"Why, I'm going to ring your bell, _you silly little mage."_

**A/N: Gosh, Naruto is very protective of his little ram, isn't he? I almost feel sorry for Karen and Angel. ALMOST. Yukino and Lucy would have to be the ONLY Celestial Spirit mages whom I approve of. The rest...well, the rest are just screwed up in the head. What will Karen's fate be? Will she die at Naruto's hand? Or will she live to fight-and die-another day?**

**Only time, and the next chapter, will tell!**

**Sorry if this chapter is short! But hey, at least I'm updating again!**

**R&R! =D**


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